The Big Green House

Tuesday, September 02, 2003

 

Look at me! What are you lookin� at?

Over the course of the day Saturday, I think we saw about five or six men wearing kilts. That�s not unusual for a summertime event here. Most of them were of the Utilikilt variety, although I recall seeing at least one traditional Scottish kilt as well. (Sorry, no clue as to which clan.)

I�ve never really been tempted to wear one myself; I�d feel incredibly self-conscious for one thing, and I get all the cooling breezes I need from my good old hiking shorts. But to each their own, said the farmer as he kissed the pig. I certainly have no problem with other guys wearing them if they so choose.

There was one guy at Bumbershoot who obviously had some issues to work out, though. He was wearing a black kilt, black boots, and a black T-shirt which read �Keep staring � maybe I�ll do a trick�. We first saw him at the Catheters show. He would walk up behind a group of people, stand with legs spread and arms crossed in the classic �I�m a badass� pose, and wait to be noticed. When acknowledgement was not forthcoming, he�d move over to another group and repeat the performance, scowling all the way. It was so painfully obvious that he craved attention from strangers � presumably so that he could then scorn it.

I completely understand the need to set one�s self off from the herd, especially while in one�s twenties. I had my ear pierced for that very reason back in 1979, when such a thing on a man was relatively uncommon.* I took a lot of shit from total strangers back then, but I came to expect it after the first couple of go-rounds. You learn that there are members of the herd who don�t like anything that�s different. So it strikes me as being willfully perverse to simultaneously attract attention to yourself and become angered when you get it. There are much better things in this world to get worked up over.

*I stopped wearing my earring when I noticed characters on TV sitcoms wearing them. I think the hole is just about closed now.

bmarkey 9/02/2003 10:24:00 PM